Georgea Kovanis/Detroit Free Press—Remember when you had to wait until Dec. 26 to get deals on gift wrap and holiday decor items? It’s a week before Christmas and more stores than ever have started what used to be called after-Christmas sales. Crate & Barrel announced today it is offering half off on holiday ornaments, wrap, […]
Archives for 2013
Southgate Mall renovations begin
John Hielscher/Sarasota Herald-Tribune—With competition from a sparkling new mall looming next fall, Westfield Southgate Mall has taken the first in a series of steps to renovate and expand the longtime city retail center. An initial phase, under way this week, will include installing new travertine tile, upgraded furnishings, fresh landscaping and new fountains and lighting. […]
A Poultry Turnout or a Bigger Slice of the Pie?
The headlines from this year’s Black Friday are varied. On one hand, sales figures were down for the first time in four years, which doesn’t bode well for overall holiday shopping sales figures. On the other hand, online spending was up 15 percent for the weekend, accounting for $1.2 billion in sales, and up 21 […]
When shopping, assume your spouse is the NSA
Catey Hill/Morningstar—The holidays are supposed to be about surprise: the look on your spouse’s or kid’s face when they unwrap the perfect gift they weren’t expecting. But couples who share a credit card, bank account and Amazon login increasingly find it hard to even browse online without tipping their hand. Once you’ve viewed a product […]
10 Retail Tricks That Make You Spend More
Quentin Fottrell/Yahoo! Finance—As millions of bargain hunters nurse their bruises after Black Friday and sore thumbs after Cyber Monday, many might be wondering why they came home with more stuff than they intended to. The reason: Shoppers are bombarded by tricks worthy of a magician. For those who want to avoid overspending, there are some […]
Riding the Organic-Store Wave
Anna Spiewak/Commercial Property Executive—The times, they are a-changing. Organic food stores, once dubbed the hippie trend of the West Coast in the 1960s, have slowly transformed from individual ownership to regional representation to national chains, some of them going public, as selective shoppers have embraced healthy eating habits. And investors are starting to take notice. […]